Firefly
by EverAbernathyFan
Summary: The victor of the 73rd Hunger Games was left scarred by her experiences. Now it's time for her to mentor the District Four tributes. She has to survive the role of leadership, the nightmares of her arena, and the comments from one of the District One mentors. Can Liana survive this year? (Rated T for violence and light swearing.)
1. Preface

A girl took off running through the snow, her grey eyes frantic as she did so. Her right cheek was bleeding, but she didn't pay any attention to it. She was too focused on running. Her breathing grew shallow as she continued, her footsteps heavy. There was no reason to try to stay hidden, he'd already found her. The snow grew deeper on the ground, coming up to her calves easily. It became hard for the girl to run, but still she pushed on. The girl knew that to stop running, meant certain death.

Maybe it would be better, to just give up. The girl glanced behind her, seeing the boy running after her. He held a sword in his right hand, and carried a look of malice in his eyes. He wanted to hurt her. He wanted her dead. I should just give him what he wants, the girl thought as she ran, as it became hard to breathe. It would be easy.

No. A memory resurfaced in the seventeen year old's brain. It was of two girls on the beach, one with bright red hair and the other with soft brown curls. "Wait up, Annie! You're too fast!" The redhead called after her older sister.

"Then you better keep up, Lee!" Annie shouted behind her, laughing the whole time.

Just keep up. Keep up for Annie. You'll get home if you just run faster. Those thoughts gave the girl a burst of energy, and somehow, miraculously, she continued running even faster.

In the Capitol, there would be shouting and cheers. Some would hope for the boy to catch up. Some would hope for the girl to outrun him, then go back and finish him off. But either way, the flamboyant crowd was wishing for blood to be spilled that day. That particular day, they would get their wish.

Pain raced through the red-haired girl's upper shoulder, and she fell to her knees. She let out a scream and tried to scramble to her feet, but it was too difficult. Reaching back, she felt a blade in a spot she couldn't quite reach to pull out. He had thrown a knife at her. "No," The girl cried out loudly, in both pain and fear. This would be it.

As the girl fell completely into the snow, the boy smirked, getting nearer. The snow felt like burning needles against her exposed skin, but she didn't care. She was going to die anyway. Her lungs burned from running for so long, so hard. Her shoulder was in ferocious pain, causing tears to leak from her eyes.

Still, she managed to turn on her back, forearms propping her body up. She stared into the cold blue eyes of the boy. He loomed over her, sword held lazily in his right hand. "What do we have here? The little District Four brat who thought she could outsmart us," The boy said with a smirk, a triumphant and arrogant look in his eyes. He knew he was going to win right then and there.

The girl spit at him. The boy's expression turned to fury as it hit his neck. "You little!" He screamed, taking his sword and driving it into her leg. The girl screamed in pain as black spots entered her vision. But she couldn't give up, she had a plan now.

While he took the time to wipe the spit from his neck, the girl yanked the blade from her leg. She whimpered, but made to get up. She managed to, finally, though she thought she'd pass out soon from the pain. The girl lifted the sword with her left hand, it heavy in her grasp. "What do we have here? A District One boy without a weapon," She fired back, if a bit weak.

The boy's eyes widened as he searched for another knife, but he scowled when he saw it in her shoulder. The boy backed up as she advanced. He ran his fingers through his black hair as he saw the determined look in her grey eyes. There was no stopping her. "Look, Four, we can talk about this."

"About what? The fact that you thought I was too weak for the same alliance there always is? Or how about the fact that you were so arrogant that you let me live in the Bloodbath, because you thought I would be an easy kill?" The girl said, stumbling forward slightly. It took all of her strength to lift the blade. She swung it in a curving arch, and the boy tried to duck. The blade caught him right in the temple, and he fell instantly.

The girl screamed a bit as blood spurted up on her from him, and backed away. That was when she fell, and the blade in her shoulder was driven even deeper. The girl passed out on the spot.

"Congratulations to the victor of the 73rd annual Hunger Games, Liana Cresta of District Four!" A voice boomed throughout the arena, and then all was silent in the snow.

**Hi, so this is the author! I know, this is really short. But it's a preface. This story is a bit new for me, considering it will be about mentors. It will go through the stuff in the series, with a few changes of course. So this will eventually be an OC/Gloss story, though that's not the only part to this story. It's family relations of my OC and her sister, Annie. It's friendship between her and Finnick. It's survival, and it's life after the Games. It's trying to move on after a traumatic experience. So, I hope you liked the beginning of this, and I will post the first chapter really soon!**


	2. Chapter One

**Chapter One: A Year's Aftermath**

Liana gasped as she woke up, curled up tight in a ball on her bed. She let out a loud scream as the memories came rushing back to her. She was in the arena, there was no firewood, and she was dying. Marble was going to kill her. He was after her, because she fought back. She showed him that she wasn't as weak as everyone originally thought. "No! No! Don't kill me!" Liana screamed over and over, crying as she kicked out in her bed. Sweat had formed on her brow as she continued, in a frenzy after her nightmare.

Suddenly, though, there were strong arms wrapped around her small body. Liana kicked and struggled for another moment, before relaxing against the person who was now beside her. She rested her head on his bare chest, and wasn't fazed as she realized who it was. Finnick Odair, her new neighbor. He often kept his windows open, and one of the downsides was that he could hear most things going on in the Victor's Village. That meant that for the past year, Finnick has heard Liana's screaming. Though instead of complaining, he was there for her. He knew Liana kept her door unlocked, and would rush inside to comfort her when he heard her wake up so frantically. They were close, since he was her mentor for the arena just last year.

Finnick stroked Liana's bright red hair as she sniffled, her tears stopping. "I-I'm sorry, Finnick," She responded softly once she came back to her senses.

"It's no problem, Lee. I get it, I really do," Finnick told her, not moving just yet. He just stayed there with her. Because he knew how she felt. He knew that the nightmares she had to deal with were probably similar to his in that they both were about the arenas they had to endure.

It was surprising to Liana that these people here cared about her. Finnick came by when she had nightmares, Mags acted like a mother to her, and then the sister she hadn't spoken to in three years. Then, of course, her best friend, Cressida, who had won the 69th Hunger Games. Liana shivered a bit at those words. The Hunger Games.

Every year, two poor souls from each district were forced into an arena, where they would fight until there was one person left. It was a sick and twisted way to keep them all in line, courtesy of the Capitol. The winner, or Victor, got riches for life, moved into a house in the Victor's village, and earned their district a year's worth of rations. It seemed pretty awesome, right? But then you were stuck mentoring the other tributes for the rest of your life, or at least until someone with the same gender in your district wins after you. The Victors were left with nightmares, and mental scars from their experiences. It was a sick trade-off.

"I just don't know how we'll get through it this year," Liana whispered, nearly silent. She hardly ever spoke loudly anymore. When she did, it was in public where she was forced to act okay. It was completely awful, but she was dealing with it in her own way.

Every single one of the victors had their way of dealing with the memories. People from District Six often got their hands on a heavy medicine called morphine. Some others turned to alcohol or just sleeping when they could. Some victors went a little insane, like Annie. Some others seemed perfectly okay, though they were mostly from Districts One and Two.

There was a silence that lasted what seemed forever, until Finnick spoke up, making Liana jump a bit in surprise. "Just take it one step at a time. Don't look at everything we have to do, but rather, that first thing. We find out who our tributes our tomorrow. That's what we need to focus on, all right? I'll help you through the rest," Finnick explained, kissing her temple once before standing up from where he was sitting.

"All right," Liana responded, biting on her lower lip. "I think I'm going to visit Cressida today."

"Well, I'll be over at Annie's with Mags if you need one of us. Okay?" Finnick asked, raising one of his eyebrows in slight concern.

"I will," Liana replied before Finnick left the room. She could hear the front door downstairs open and then shut a few seconds later. That meant that Finnick had left the house. Liana waited for a moment before deciding to get ready for the day. She made the bed and then stepped into the bathroom that was connected to her room.

The bathroom itself was large, even larger than her old bedroom back at her parents' house. Liana sighed a bit as she thought about it. She hadn't spoken to her parents since the big argument right after she won. Her dad wouldn't let her back inside the house. It was an awful argument that day, that left Liana crying at her sister's place. She remembered exactly what they had called her. A murderer. They said she killed that last boy in cold blood. They would rather a dead innocent daughter than a living murderer.

Liana peeled her pajamas off, not wanting to think about the topic for very long. It hurt so bad to think about it, and so she just tried to pretend it never happened. They didn't think those things about her. They couldn't. Liana was still their youngest daughter. They had to love her.

Stepping into the shower, Liana let the hot water run down her back. It soaked her red hair, plastering it to the back of her neck. Showers were a time for Liana to forget reality, to just relax and pretend all the awful things had never happened to her or her friends. She never wanted to leave that save haven. In the shower, the Hunger Games didn't exist. Neither did starvation, death, violence. None of it. It was just the warm water and the thought of safety. Liana shut her eyes at the thought, content in that moment.

She swung it in a curving arch, and the boy tried to duck. But he was too late, and the blade swung right into his temple. His blood spurted on Liana, covering her with the blame of his death.

"No!" She screamed, gasping and coming out of her reverie. She let out a single sob as she clutched the wall of the shower, gasping as she tried to calm herself. But she couldn't. That image was burned into her memory, something she'll never forget or get over. "No."

Liana shut off the water and stepped out, wrapping a black towel around herself. She held it with one hand as she stepped back out into her bedroom to grab some clothes for the day. She was left in a sort of stupor, moving slowly like a zombie. She just stared ahead, trying not to cry. I just killed him, Liana thought, I killed him so I could live.

The gray t-shirt was comfortable and silky against Liana's skin. The black shorts showed off enough of her legs so she wouldn't sweat a lot, but it wasn't revealing. They were just as comfortable. Liana glanced down at her leg, right where the sword had once rested. She ran her fingertips over the spot. There was no mark from it. It should have scarred, but the Capitol erased any memory of the Games from her physical appearance. Even though Liana had just gotten her figure back a couple of months ago. But there was one thing they couldn't erase, even with time. The mental scars left on each victor. Nobody forgot who they killed, or their arena they had to survive. Nobody came out the same person they went in as. That was just what happened in an event as tragic as the Hunger Games.

Liana slipped on a small locket that was her token last year. It was silver and when you opened it, there was glass inside the heart. Behind the glass, was a small bit of sand. A bit of home wherever she went.

Liana was ready as she walked down the stairs, grabbing a biscuit off of the counter. She had gotten some the previous evening at the town square. They were very flaky and had many herbs and seaweed that made it delicious. It was something she'd grown up with, and so she would always love those biscuits. Liana took a small bite of one as she walked out of her house, and down the street. The sun felt great on her damp hair, warming her arms and legs. She could hear the ocean to her left, and could hear the laughter where the beach was. So many kids went down to the beach after and before school. Liana and Annie had as kids. She remembered the details.

The large house of her friend appeared in front of Liana soon enough. Cressida Borman won when she was eighteen years old. Five years later, and she is just as immature as before. That was what made the two girls such close friends. That despite the three-year age gap, they could still act the same and connect with each other. It was nice having a friend who understood her completely. Liana knocked on the door, and she could hear loud stomping inside.

"I told you already, I don't want-Oh, hi, Lee, I thought you were someone else," Cressida began to yell, though calmed down as she saw who it was.

Liana didn't question her friend's behavior, knowing about the temper she gained after the arena. "Hi, Cress. Do you want to go down to the beach today?" She asked, tilting her head to the side a bit.

"Yeah! You wanna invite Kenton?" Cressida asked, smiling a bit more at the thought. She loved the beach.

"Of course!" Liana giggled, shaking her head. When she was with Cressida and Kenton, all of her worries just seemed to go away for a moment. Kenton was Cressida's cousin, and was a year younger than Liana, being eighteen years old. He wasn't a victor, but Liana was so glad. He had too bright a personality, and she didn't want the arena to ruin that.

"Okay, let's go then," Her friend smiled, stepping out of her house and closing the door. She wore jean shorts and a red tank top that was obviously worn. Her black hair hung around her shoulders in large curls. Cressida's blue eyes were sharp and held her emotions inside them. Any of her friends were used to this, but few could actually pick out how Cressida was feeling. Sadly, Liana just was not one of them. She was terrible with emotions, and probably always would be. Kenton, however, seemed to pick out anyone's emotions so easily. He knew exactly what they were feeling.

Soon enough, the two girls had begun walking out of the Victor's Village, and down towards where Kenton's house would be. He still lived with his parents, having not found a girlfriend yet to occupy his time. They lived on the poorer side of the district, but that didn't bother the two victors. Instead, that made them want to help him and his family even more. But Kenton always refused, saying that they were fine where they were.

"So, Liana, how are you feeling? I mean, about being a mentor this year?" Cressida asked, glancing over at her friend.

Normally, Liana hated questions like that. But she would open up to her closest friend. She shrugged a bit, her emotions hard to decipher. She was scared, yet a bit excited, and somehow dreaded the experience all at once. "I'm not sure. I mean, I don't want two lives in my hands. Especially if I could know them," She responded, looking out at the town square. It was busy, full of chattering people. There were carts where people were selling things like fish, or even jewelry. This was the busiest and more lively place in District Four, and Liana absolutely loved it.

"Yeah, I can understand that. I mean, I knew Annie when I mentored her. I didn't know you, but from what your sister said, I could tell you were related to her," Cressida explained, turning her head away and looking ahead as well. They maneuvered expertly through the crowds, as they'd done this every other day. The two usually got Kenton and did something all together. Go to the square, one of their houses, or more commonly, the beach.

Cressida had been both of the Cresta sisters' mentor. Annie should have mentored Liana, but she was mentally incapable to. Well, the Capitol didn't officially say it, but Cressida could tell that Annie couldn't mentor. So for three years straight, Cressida volunteered to take over Annie's role. That was how she met Liana. At first, they didn't get along at all. It was awful. But it was a tough goodbye before the arena. It was an even larger reunion.

Liana smiled a bit as a memory came to her mind, and she glanced over at Cressida. "Do you remember that dinner after the interviews? Where I got so mad at you that I-"

"-threw that glass of orange juice at me? Yeah, I remember," Cressida finished with a laugh, shaking her head. "I was so mad. But that was when I thought you had a chance. You know, because you could stand up for yourself, you had spunk. I hit a nerve with you, and it was the wrong thing to say, but it gave me a burst of confidence in you."

"Really? Throwing a glass of orange juice? In that case, I'll do it more often," Liana joked in reply. Her red hair fell into her eyes a bit, and she brushed it away calmly.

"No, no, that's not necessary," Cressida responded with a laugh, walking up to a small house. She knocked on the door, and a boy around Liana's age answered. He had black hair that sometimes fell into his bright green eyes. He was a bit taller than Liana and Cressida both. Kenton. "Hi, Kent, do you want to go down to the beach with us?"

"Yeah, I was about to head down there soon anyway," Kenton said with a small laugh. "How are you doing, Lee?"

Liana shrugged with a small smile on her face. "Pretty good, actually." So with that, the three of them began their walk down to the beach, which encircled the southern side of the district. It was huge, and the sand and water were absolutely beautiful together.

When they got to the beach, it had begun getting less crowded. It was time for the kids to go back for lunch, so only adults and teenagers were left there. The sun was warming up the sand, making it hurt a bit on Liana's feet. But she was so used to it, that she didn't comment on it once. Instead, she ran out into the middle of it, plopping down in a laying position on the ground, staring up at the bright blue sky. Soon, Kenton and Cressida had joined her.

"This is great," Kenton blurted out after a moment of long and content silence.

"It really is," Cressida added, a small smile already on her face. Liana knew that she must be pretty happy. Cressida only really smiled around Kenton and Liana.

"I just want to lay here forever," Liana commented, smiling in perfect content. She forgot about the arena, and being a victor and murderer.

"I don't want to go to the Reaping tomorrow," Kenton murmured. It was his last year, but he still had three younger brothers to worry about. His older brother is perfectly safe from the name calling, and even has a wife and a little daughter. Liana worried about his family, they had four kids to worry about now, and at least one other in five years. What if one of the kids got picked?

Cressida's smile had disappeared at the Reaping being mentioned. She hated it, and always will. "Don't worry, everyone will be safe. There are so many people here in Four."

"I know, I just can't help but worry," Kenton responded. "But let's not think about it."

So they didn't. The two victors and one citizen simply laid in the sand for hours. They left each other to their own thoughts, and each were perfectly fine with it. Nobody worried about bad thoughts, as with each other, they were just content.

**Hi! This is the author! So, this was basically to show the connection between a few people, to get background knowledge on the main character, you know. I'm thinking this will eventually be a Gloss/OC story, but don't worry, it will have much more than romance in this fic. I know where I want to go with this. I haven't written the other chapters out yet, but I have a vague idea for some, okay? Well, I really hope you enjoyed this! I would love to hear your thoughts, ideas, criticism, anything! Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time I write!**


	3. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two: The Time Has Come**

_The sun was shining bright on the eighteen year old girl's face. She didn't notice it, though, she was too busy staring at the glass bowl that was on the left side of the stage. That bowl held hundreds of slips of paper. Seven of the slips bore her name. Of any of those were picked, the girl would be led straight into the arms of death. The thoughts terrified the girl, but she also knew she couldn't change them. It was the truth, but at least that truth would only exist for this year. Then she would be done with the fear of being Reaped constantly over her shoulder._

_The girl stood silently as the escort for District Four, Leto Pan, began his speech. He was terrifying in a bright green getup, his suit having stripes of a lighter green across it. The girl cringed every time her gaze caught his outfit. Leto was from the Capitol, so every year his flamboyant outfits just got worse. The girl tried to focus on this instead of the fact that Leto was nearing the end of his speech._

_"And now for the boys' drawing!" Leto called out excitedly. He walked with a swagger in his step towards the glass bowl on the right. The most recent Victor of their district, Cressida Borman, scoffed as he walked over. Leto shot her a look, almost an embarrassed one. The girl couldn't help but giggle softly, shaking her head. Her bright red hair fell into her eyes slightly, but she didn't mind enough to fix it. Leto reached into the bowl, taking his sweet time in picking a name. He finally did, and walked right back over to the microphone. "Trident Aletta!"_

_Trident was a fifteen year old boy from the girl's school. She recognized his shaggy black hair. He was obviously trying not to panic, from the way his bright green eyes looked around frantically. He was tensed as Leto congratulated him on being Reaped._

_"Now onto the girls!" This was the moment where the girl's fear peaked. It bubbled inside of her like champagne would in a glass. She bit her lip nervously, the time seeming to drag out. Then, all of a sudden, it sped up. "Liana Cresta!"_

"No!" Liana screamed, pulling her legs to her chest in a spasm. Her heart was pounding and her breathing was erratic. Memories always attacked her in dreams, they had since her victory the year before. Liana couldn't do anything except lay there and endure it. She had tried staying up all night every night, but once Kenton found out, he'd stayed with her a whole week until she started sleeping again. Around him, the dreams hadn't seemed so bad.

Then the realization of that day caused her to relax. It wasn't her relieved that today finally came, but it was more of a relaxing of her muscles, because she was in shock. It was exactly a year ago that she was called to face death. And a little less than a year ago, she beat all of the odds stacked against her. Liana had walked right away from the doors of death, as hard as that seemed in Panem. Now, she'd have to help two people to try and do the same thing.

_Take it one step at a time._ Those words had been Finnick's piece of advice. He would be there with her the whole time, Liana shouldn't have to worry. But what if Kenton got picked?

Liana couldn't bear to think about it, and instead decided to try and get ready for the day. After a rather long shower, she got dressed in a pair of black shorts and a gray blouse. Liana wore gray flats, and her red hair was down in curls around her upper back. Liana realized it was about time to head down to the Town Square, even though now she was dreading it. The thought about Kenton had stuck, and she knew it would bother her until the Reaping was over and done with.

The young woman walked out of her home, grabbing only a biscuit to eat on the way. She would find Finnick, as the two of them would have to go to the Justice Building first. They always had the escort, mayor, and two mentors exit the Justice Building together, once the crowd had arrived. Finnick had done this countless times before, but this was so new to Liana.

"Lee! Wait up!" A voice called behind her.

Liana jumped, letting out a small squeal and turning around. There, with a lopsided grin on his face, was none other than Finnick Odair. Liana whacked him lightly and playfully on the arm as he began laughing. "It's not funny! You scared the hell outta me!" She pouted, crossing her arms.

Suddenly she was off the ground and the world was upside down. Finnick had thrown her over his shoulder! "Finnick! Put me down right now!" She shrieked, laughing the whole time though. Finnick simply shook his head and started running towards the Justice Building. "You are so mean, Finnick," Liana said jokingly, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Yeah? And you're such a child," Finnick retorted, sticking his tongue out back.

"Nu uh!

"Yeah huh!"

"Children! It's showtime!" Leto snapped, rolling his eyes as he turned back around to face the double doors. They would open soon enough. Had the pair really been that late?

Liana panicked as the doors opened. First the mayor walked out, then Leto. Then Finnick and her would. He linked his arm with her left one, and the pair set off towards the crowd. Liana sat between the mayor and Finnick, one leg crossed over the other. She zoned out during Leto's speech again, rolling her eyes in the appropriate places.

"And now, let's switch things up! We'll do the girl Reaping first!" Leto exclaimed as if it were the most shocking thing this year. Liana sighed, her nervousness at an all time high. She was so scared for Kenton. Why couldn't they get the guys drawing over with?! Leto was already at the microphone by the time Liana began paying attention again. "Molly Zale!"

Molly had to be young. She had orange hair and was already in tears by the time she got up to the stage. Liana felt her heart clench for the little girl. There was no way she stood a chance. Someone was crying in the crowd, and Liana knew it had to be one of Molly's relatives. Why did Molly have to be picked? Why did Liana have to be the one to pretend everything was perfectly even out in the arena for Molly?

Leto continued on like a twelve or thirteen year old hadn't just been picked for the Games. It was sick, actually. Normally Liana would have scoffed, but she was too anxious about the next name. It couldn't be Kenton, it couldn't be Kenton. And it wasn't. It was his brother.

Liana shook her head, her head hung. She couldn't watch as the thirteen year old boy walked up the steps. It was awful, so awful. Liana just wanted to cry. Two young kids right there in front of her, and one of them she knew so well. And then, then she heard it. Liana heard him before she saw him. "I volunteer, I volunteer as tribute!"

There was shouting, and then there were murmurs. There were more volunteers her than other districts, but not many. It was still a strange occurrence. Besides, most people knew Kenton. He was the kid who would help the older people out, who would be kind to the children. He was just a great person to be around. Then there he was, volunteering to go into the arena.

By the time Kenton reached the stage, his cheeks were pink. His black button down shirt was slightly wrinkled, and his jeans looked a bit scraped up. Had he fallen on the way? Kenton could be a bit clumsy sometimes, especially in his haste. Kenton embraced his younger brother before the younger kid was led away back into the crowd.

"And what's your name?" Leto asked eagerly. He always loved the drama that volunteers brought into the Reaping.

"Kenton Borman." Somehow, his voice was completely steady. How was he not panicking? Liana was so glad he didn't seem scared, but it just surprised her. Soon enough, the Reaping was over. The tributes were now being led away into the Justice Building. As they passed the victors, Kenton gave Liana an apologetic look. Wait, why did he do that? Liana stared after him, mouth parted as if shocked. She was so confused, why was he the one who was sorry? She should be, because she wouldn't be a good mentor. This was her first time, and now she had to keep her best friend alive? And what about that tiny little girl, too?

"Lee, it's time to go to the train station," Finnick said, nudging her with his elbow. Liana stood, nodding as if in a daze. "That was your friend, wasn't it?"

Liana just nodded, and Finnick wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "We'll get him through this, okay? Him and Molly, they have a great team of mentors here. There's no way they both could lose." But without voicing it directly, Finnick had said the truth. Both of them couldn't win. Either Molly or Kenton would die, maybe even both.

That was when Liana understood. Kenton loved kids, he was so sweet. Would he give himself up for Molly? No, Liana thought to herself, she wouldn't let him do that.

**A/N: Hey! So this is a shorter chapter, but I like it. I think it's a good build up for what's to come. And I know Kenton being in the Games is a bit obvious, but I have a plan! So the other mentors will come up within the next few chapters, including Gloss. Um, I'm going to respond to reviews every chapter, if I get some, because I feel if you take the time to give me feedback, I should at least say thank you! So those will be below this little note. Thanks so much for reading, and I'd love to see some more feedback! Expect another update sometime soon, though after the holiday obviously. Happy Holidays!**

**Replys-**

**lilly2587: Thank you so much! Hopefully you liked this chapter.**

**thecatclouder: Thank you so much, it really means a lot. My friend actually agreed to edited this chapter for me, so hopefully those typos lessened. I get a bit obsessive sometimes. XD But anyway, thank you!**

**Guest: Yeah, after re-reading Catching Fire and seeing the movie, I had a strange urge to write a Gloss/OC. XD Yeah, Kenton sorta did, but I was so sad doing it. Thanks for commenting!**


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Liana and Finnick were escorted on to the train while the tributes said their goodbyes. The crowd was following their car to the station, the people loud with questions and just shock. Liana felt the same way, her heart beating wildly in her chest. She still couldn't believe how this was turning out. One of her closest friends and a very girl. How were Finnick and her supposed to do this?

As they stepped on to the train, Finnick's hand reached out and took hers. It was a friendly gesture, but it made Liana calm down so much. They hadn't known each other for very long, but Liana had trusted him with everything, like she would with an older brother. She considered him her older brother, in a way.

Liana knew the story, Finnick's. She had heard most of it from him, but some of her questions were answered by Mags. She knew that he had to do just awful things, and that because he refused at first, Finnick lost everything. Finnick was left at fifteen years old with no family around, because he didn't do everything President Snow asked of him. It terrified Liana, but it also made her angry. Finnick was so sweet, and he didn't deserve everything that has happened to him. But what could they do?

"Like I said, we'll get through this," Liana heard Finnick tell her. They were both sitting on the train, on one of the couches. The television was on, flipped on to some show about the best endings in Hunger Games history. Neither of them were paying much attention, though.

"We're not the ones who need to get through this," Liana said softly. The realization of everything was hitting her hard in that moment, and it made her feel so weighed down. Like no matter how hard she tried, she wouldn't be able to do anything to help. "It's Kenton and Molly. They have to go through what we did and it's not fair. He has a family to take care of, and Molly, she's just a little girl! How could this happen, Finnick? It's not fair! It's not fair," She exclaimed, shaking her head.

Liana tucked her head into the crook of Finnick's neck, much like a little kid would with an older sibling. She had tears in her eyes, though she tried so hard not to let them spill. It was silent for a long time, both of them soaking in the words she had said.

"I know it's not fair, I know," Finnick responded in a low voice. "But there's nothing we can do yet. We just have to try our best to get one of them through, and hope that the other goes...quickly. It's tough and ridiculous, and shouldn't have to happen. But we have to jump through the hoops before we defy anyone."

Liana nodded her head, letting silence fill the train car again. They both turned to the television, and found themselves talking through each one. Gloss and Cashmere came up, their wins. It was pretty amazing, that siblings won sequentially. Not to mention Gloss won through setting up a trap for the District Two boy, which ended up in a decapitation. Cashmere, well, that girl was ruthless. She tore that poor boy to pieces at the end, like only doing that would make her win.

"You have to admire them," Liana piped up with a small shrug. When Finnick looked over at her, she explained. "I mean, that takes a lot of bravery and resolve to keep their cool in something as crazy as this. Never once has there been a story about how those two broke down. You know? I know they're Careers, and you know what I have against that pack, but...I don't know."

Finnick nodded his head, a small smile on his face. "Something Liana Cresta doesn't know? Call the peacekeepers! This calls for an investigation! This can't be possible, Liana knows all!" He laughed.

"Oh shut up," Liana said back, shoving him with a small smile on her face. "I don't know everything, just most things."

Finnick shook his head and ruffled her hair, earning another shove. "Oh come on, let's just watch. I'm pretty sure I'll be on here."

Finnick was, indeed, on the show. As was Annie, who won with a dam breaking and causing the entire arena to flood. She won by being the best swimmer. Then something Liana hadn't expected, she was there, too. She was the last one. Liana watched herself running, her cheek bleeding a lot more than she remembered. She could see how labored her breathing was, and saw the boy running after her. He looked so angry, ready to kill her.

Liana watched as she got that burst of energy, and remembered exactly what she had done to get that. Finnick squeezed her shoulder as the television showed the old Liana get hit with a knife in that same shoulder. Liana could see the pain wash over her face as she fell, the fear and the tears on her cheeks. Liana jumped against Finnick as the boy drove his sword into her leg on the screen.

Then she saw the change in her expression. It was like she didn't care what happened to her now, as long as she got her own words in. That had taken a lot of resolve to pull the sword out, and Liana touched her leg gingerly, as if she could still feel it. Liana remembered training a bit with a sword in those few days of training. That swing wouldn't have been half as decent if she hadn't done that. Then the show ended, and Liana was snapped out of it.

"Do you remember when that kid let you go? At the beginning? You remember what he'd said?" Finnick asked, though slowly, as if it might set her off.

"Yeah, I remember. He said I wouldn't be a threat. He said I would end up dying that night anyway," Liana said back, looking out the window. How had they not noticed that the train was moving already? "I proved him wrong."

"Yeah you did. I remember watching it, that night he looked so angry. The next night, when your name wasn't up there, he was even more angry. Then that turned to a bit of fear, we could all see it. I teased Gloss about it, and you can bet that I still will," Finnick explained, grinning cheekily at the mention of the other Victor.

"You will do no such thing," An accented voice called out. It was Leto. "You will be civil to your fellow mentors. Now, it's time for lunch."

Liana and Finnick smiled at each other before standing up, following after the escort to the dining car. Molly and Kenton were sitting down already, and were looking with wide eyes at the food. Liana was still surprised by the amount of food, but it was nothing like the first time she saw it. District Four isn't poverty-ridden, but it certainly isn't as well off as the Capitol.

Liana sat down next to Kenton, and poked his arm as she did so. Kenton smiled and nodded, looking right at her with an emotion that Liana couldn't figure out. As they ate, the silence got drawn out. Molly would occasionally sniffle, and it didn't take a genius to know why. Kenton seemed strangely all right, though maybe he was just waiting until he was alone.

"So, what are your strengths?" Finnick asked, and Liana figured that was a good thing to start with. He looked so serious in comparison to when him and Liana were alone.

"I can throw a trident, and I can swim faster than Liana," Kenton said with a competitive look in his eyes.

"You can not swim faster than me!" Liana exclaimed with a playful smile.

"Can to! Remember that last race?" Kenton exclaimed.

"Yes, and it didn't count," Liana responded, sticking her tongue out at him. "But you can swim fast enough to keep up with me."

That was one of Liana's strengths, swimming. She was one of the fastest swimmers in her year, and she had hoped it would help her in the arena. It did nothing, considering the arena was full of snow and the lakes were all frozen over.

Finnick was sitting across from Liana, and was struggling not to burst out laughing. He knew what those two were doing, and it looked like they were flirting. It honestly did, and he had to wonder if Liana and Kenton were something more than friends. "And you, Molly?" He asked, still chuckling somewhat.

Molly shrugged, keeping her head down. Her orange hair was around her face, hiding it. "Why does it matter? I stand no chance anyway. Why should you guys even try to help me?"

Liana recognized that attitude, Finnick did, too. He just looked at Liana with a knowing look. Liana had the same attitude last year, it was known as the 'why-try' attitude. It meant that the tribute didn't think they'd win, so they weren't going to try. It was a deadly attitude, literally.

"There's always something someone can do, Molly," Liana said lightly. "Don't count yourself out, okay? You know who you remind me of?"

"Who?" Molly asked, gaining curiosity with what Liana was saying.

"Myself. I didn't think I stood a chance, I don't think anyone thought I would. But I didn't give up, and now look," Liana explained with a soft smile. She was really thinking, you don't want to win anyway, but she wouldn't dare say that out loud.

"Really? But you were so amazing and...I'm nothing like you," Molly said, looking up and wiping her eyes from the tears that had fallen. "But...I guess I can tie knots all right. And I'm the best at hide and seek in my year, nobody can ever find me."

Liana looked right at Finnick as Molly said that. She looked happier, because now she knew that Molly had a chance. If she's that good at hiding, well, maybe nobody in the arena could find her. Maybe she could just hide out and wait for everyone to kill each other off. They could hope for that. "Finnick, I think I'm going to mentor Molly, if that's all right."

Finnick nodded his head, a small smile on his face. He was glad to see Liana relaxing, and he was glad that now Molly had a chance. They all finished eating, and headed to the television room to watch the rest of the reapings. Most of them weren't too memorable, except a twelve-year-old girl from Eleven, a huge boy from Eleven, and then the volunteer from Twelve.

"A volunteer," Finnick said after the television was turned off. "Wow." They were all stunned, as a volunteer from that district was almost unheard of.

"Yeah, that's amazing. What do you think, Molly?" Liana asked the girl. They found out she was thirteen years old a bit earlier.

She never got a response. Before Molly could open her mouth, Kenton slammed his hand down on the floor, standing up. His face was bright red as he walked to his bedroom, slamming the door shut. "We're in the Capitol," Leto finally voiced. "Why don't you all take a nap? Dinner will be in an hour."

But when dinner rolled around, nobody was awake for it. Except Liana, but she stayed shut up in her room. All she could think about was how angry Kenton seemed. Why was he so angry with her trying to help Molly? This wasn't like Kenton at all, and it worried her.

**A/N: Thanks so much for reading you guys! Sorry I didn't update, the holidays were just really crazy for me. I had some family issues, but it was mostly because holidays are hectic for me. So school is starting again tomorrow, we've had awful cold so school was cancelled for two days. That's mostly how I got to updating. I will probably update this next week, if things aren't too bad. If I have a lot of spare time, then maybe over the weekend. Anyways, thanks for reading and I'd love to see what you think so far! I have the next few chapters planned out in a little notebook of mine! I call it my Firefly notebook. XD Okay, I'm rambling. I'm gonna just stop and go to the review response.**

**lilly2587: Thanks so much, I'm glad you liked it! Gloss should appear next chapter, if everything goes as planned! I hope you liked this chapter!**


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